Bhawanipatna (Odisha), Aug 7 (PTI) The Director General Civil Aviation Monday (DGCA) on Monday said it has issued the license for Utkela airport in Odisha's Kalahandi district to start flight operations.

Utkela airport, 15 km from the district headquarters of Bhawanipatna, is among the airstrips that have been listed under the regional connectivity scheme UDAN.

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This license from Civil Aviation has paved the way for regular flights of commercial aeroplanes from Utkella to Bhubaneswar and Raipur, capitals of Odisha and its neighbour Chhattisgarh respectively.

After Rourkela and Jeypore, the UDAN service will be launched soon in Utkela, an official said adding that initially GSEC Monarch has been given the license to fly nine-seated commercial planes.

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Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik welcomed the DGCA's decision.

“Glad to share that #UtkelaAirport in #Kalahandi district has received DGCA license to start flight operation. Soon flight operations will commence to #Bhubaneswar. It will boost connectivity, commerce & tourism, fulfilling aspiration of people of the region,” Patnaik said in a statement posted on X, earlier known as Twitter.

(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)